MASS MEASUREMENT OF ⁴⁵ Cr AND ITS IMPACT ON THE Ca-Sc CYCLE IN X-RAY BURSTS

Abstract

Masses of neutron-deficient Ni-58 projectile fragments have been measured at the HIRFL-CSR facility in Lanzhou, China employing the isochronous mass spectrometry technique. Masses of a series of short-lived T-z = -3/2 nuclides including the Cr-45 nucleus have been measured with a relative uncertainty of about 10(-6)-10(-7). The new Cr-45 mass turned out to be essential for modeling the astrophysical rp-process. In particular, we find that the formation of the predicted Ca-Sc cycle in X-ray bursts can be excluded.